‘Fog it, light it, blow it up’
Beethoven like you’ve never heard, or seen
Paul O’neill didn’t want to be another brick in the wall.
While his nine brothers and sisters earned doctorates, O’neill soaked up an education through the world of rock ’n’ roll.
“I gave credit to all those Hail Marys my mom said when I said I wasn’t going to college,” O’neill says by telephone from New York City, where he grew up in a strong Irish Catholic household. “‘Please don’t let this kid starve, please don’t let this kid starve, please don’t let this kid starve.’ ”
O’neill, 57, is the creator of Trans-siberian Orchestra, the progressive metal act that’s bringing its unusual brand of rock theatre to Edmonton next week.
Beethoven’s Last Night, the group’s first non-holiday rock opera, is the veritable fireworks edition of Ludwig van Beethoven’s last night alive. Steeped in history, the show offers symphonic rock takes on the legendary composer’s standards, as well as original music.
“I was always in awe of Beethoven,” O’neill says of the deaf, notoriously ornery German composer, who lived from 1770 to 1827. “If Beethoven had crawled into a corner and given up on life, I don’t think anyone would have blamed him.”
The show includes rock versions of Beethoven ri s familiar to all, among them Ode to Joy, Moonlight Sonata, Für Elise and, of course, those famous four opening notes of his Fifth
Symphony. Homage is paid to Mozart, too, as one of Beethoven’s major influences.
To make classical music into ‘rock theatre,’ TSO draws inspiration from arena rock legends — Queen, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, The Who — as well as the storytelling appeal of Broadway theatre to make a one-of-a-kind show that “blows a lot of circuit breakers,” according to O’neill. Expect lasers, lights, pyrotechnics, video screens and special effects. “The band’s motto is fog it, light it, blow it up, just don’t let the audience get bored.”
The band, comprising a host of vocal and instrumental talent, takes direction from guitar legend Al Pitrelli, who has worked with Megadeth, AC/ DC and Alice Cooper. Live performances do not feature a full orchestra.
Rob Evan, a singer and actor lauded for his Broadway roles, including Jean Valjean in Les
Misérables, plays the title role in this nearly three-hour show. “He’s a monster with a threeoctave range,” O’neill says. The great thing about bringing in a range of soloists like Evan, he adds, is the diversity of experience they bring to the “flight deck.”
In the story, Beethoven unwittingly tricks Mephistopheles and gets to keep his soul. Narrator Brian Hicks recounts it all in rhyming pentameter.
In the last decade, TSO has sold more than eight million albums and as many concert tickets. Pollstar rated the group No. 20 in the top tours of the past decade. It appeals to a wide audience, but is especially popular with a younger demographic.
“TSO was built to be di erent than other rock bands,” say O’neill, who, for many years, managed and promoted rock acts like Asia, The Scorpions, Bon Jovi and White Snake. “It breathes, it’s like a living thing. We blow a lot of circuit breakers.”
The album Beethoven’s Last Night was released in 2000. Although TSO has a newer rock opera — Night Castle — O’neill wanted to tour Beethoven because it’s filled with hope, a needed message in the current economic climate, he says.
“‘I just lost half the value of my stock portfolio.’ Well, it’s better than being a mercuryand lead-poisoned deaf piano player,” he says.
“When you leave the building, you won’t think you’ll beat the problems in your life. You’ll know it.”